Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday rejected claims that he had been selected to receive the &ldquo;Veer Savarkar Award,&rdquo; asserting that he was neither informed about the honour nor had agreed to accept it.
In a statement posted on X, Tharoor said he first learned of the supposed award while he was in Kerala to vote in the local self-government elections. 
&ldquo;Responding to media queries, I clarified that I was neither aware of, nor had accepted, such an award,&rdquo; he said.
Tharoor criticised the organisers for announcing his name without prior consent. 
&ldquo;It was irresponsible on the part of the organisers to announce my name without my having agreed to receive it,&rdquo; he said, adding that no details had been provided regarding the nature of the award or the organisation presenting it.
With reporters in Delhi continuing to seek clarity, Tharoor reiterated his position. 
&ldquo;In the absence of clarifications about the nature of the award, the organisation presenting it or any other contextual details, the question of my attending the event today or accepting the award does not arise,&rdquo; he said.
However, Aji Krishnan, secretary of HRDS India, organisers of the inaugural Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025, contested Tharoor&rsquo;s version. 
He said that representatives of the organisation and the award jury chairman had met Tharoor at his residence. 
&ldquo;We gave him the list. He has not yet informed us that he will not attend. Perhaps he is scared as the Congress has made it an issue,&rdquo; Krishnan claimed.
Earlier, Congress leader K. Muraleedharan said no party member should accept an award named after V.D. Savarkar, alleging that he had &ldquo;bowed before the British.&rdquo; 
He added that accepting such an honour would &ldquo;insult and embarrass&rdquo; the Congress.
Kerala Law Minister P. Rajeev commented that the decision to accept or decline the award was entirely Tharoor&rsquo;s choice.

Tharoor denies consent for Savarkar Award, says organisers acted without approval

Tharoor Rejects Claim Of Receiving Savarkar Award

Tharoor denies consent for Savarkar Award, says organisers acted without approval

December 10, 2025 | 22:48 IST